Moisture control apparatus and moisture control method

ABSTRACT

A moisture control apparatus includes at least one electrode configured to receive at least one of an alternating current or a direct current, and to direct at least one of an electric field, a magnetic field, an electromagnetic field, an electromagnetic wave, a sonic wave, or a supersonic wave toward a substance. The moisture control apparatus further includes a controller configured to communicate with the at least one electrode, wherein the controller is configured to control a voltage applied to the at least one electrode to induce a bonded state between water molecules of moisture present in the substance.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to Japanese Application No.2017-255302, filed Dec. 31, 2017, the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to a moisture control apparatus and a moisturecontrol method.

BACKGROUND ART

A fryer is known that gives a truly excellent flavor to cooked food bycooking food in a space in which an electromagnetic wave having a givenrange of frequencies is generated (see Patent Document 1). PatentDocument 1, including Specification, Scope of Claims, and Drawings, isincorporated herein in its entirety by reference. Patent Document 1states that excellent effects such as the prevention ofoxidization/deterioration of cooking oil and an improved flavor ofcooked food can be obtained by cooking food in a space in which anelectromagnetic wave having a given range of frequencies is generated.

RELATED ART Patent Document

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No.2016-129672

SUMMARY

With the fryer and cooking method described in Patent Document 1,however, the principle of flavor improvement is not examined withrespect to all types of food, to other cooking methods, or to mattersother than food.

The inventors of this disclosure have conducted numerous analyses fromvarious viewpoints about how food is affected by an electromagnetic wavehaving a given range of frequencies. As a result, the inventors havefound that control of moisture (including free water) contained in foodimpacts flavor of the food. A method of controlling the moisture alsoimpacts items other than food, and the findings have led to thecompletion of a moisture control apparatus and moisture control methodof this disclosure.

In other words, an object of at least one embodiment of this disclosureis to provide a moisture control apparatus and a moisture control methodwith which moisture contained in a substance can be controlled toimprove characteristics of the substance.

The objects of at least one embodiment of this disclosure is achieved bya moisture control apparatus. The moisture control apparatus includes atleast one electrode configured to generate at least one of an electricfield, a magnetic field, an electromagnetic field, an electromagneticwave, a sonic wave, or a supersonic wave. The moisture control apparatusis capable of improving properties of a substance placed so as to beopposed to the at least one electrode by creating a bonded state inwhich water molecules of moisture present in the substance are bonded toone another through application of a given voltage, which includes adirect current component and/or an alternating current component, to theat least one electrode. Objects of at least one embodiment of thisdisclosure are also achieved by a moisture control method. The moisturecontrol method is capable of improving properties of a substance placedso as to be opposed to at least one electrode from which at least one ofan electric field, a magnetic field, an electromagnetic field, anelectromagnetic wave, a sonic wave, or a supersonic wave is generated.The moisture control method includes creating a bonded state in whichwater molecules of moisture present in the substance are bonded to oneanother through application of a given voltage, which includes a directcurrent component and/or an alternating current component, to the atleast one electrode.

Other aspects of this description relate to a storage medium for storinginstructions for executing the moisture control method, a product, anapparatus, or an equipment, including the moisture control apparatus.

Still other aspects of this description relate to a substance. Thesubstance includes water molecules of moisture, wherein a bonded statein which the water molecules are bonded to one another is created by themoisture control apparatus.

Free water as moisture is water in a normal state in which free movementis allowed as opposed to bound water, which is in a bonded state atchemically varying degrees. In food, free water is water mechanicallymaintained between tissues, and is water exhibiting the properties ofordinary water (reference materials: “Encyclopedia Nipponica 2001”,“Digital Daijisen”, “Eiyo/Seikagaku Jiten” (translates as“Nutrition/Biochemistry Dictionary”).

Effects

According to at least one embodiment of this disclosure, the moisturecontrol apparatus and the moisture control method can improvecharacteristics of the substance by controlling moisture contained inthe substance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 A conceptual diagram of an electrode in at least one embodimentof this disclosure.

FIG. 2A A schematic diagram of water molecules in which freely movingwater molecules in at least one embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 2B A schematic diagram of water molecules in a pearl chainformation in at least one embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 3A A micrograph of free water in the state of free water prior tothe application of an electric field in at least one embodiment of thisdisclosure.

FIG. 3B A micrograph of free water in the state of free water at thetime of application of an electric field in at least one embodiment ofthis disclosure.

FIG. 4A An explanatory diagram of a simulation model of a result ofsimulation about the electric potential of water particles in at leastone embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 4B A result of the electric potential simulation in at least oneembodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 5 A photograph of the result of preserving sea bream for 5 days inat least one embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 6 A set of photographs of the result of preserving bean sprouts for10 days in at least one embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 7 A set of photographs of the result of preserving pea sprouts for35 days in at least one embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 8 A set of photographs of the state of food cooked in cooking oilin at least one embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 9 A set of photographs of result of hydroponics in at least oneembodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 10 A conceptual diagram of an electrode in at least one embodimentof this disclosure.

FIG. 11A A conceptual diagram of electrodes in at least one embodimentof this disclosure.

FIG. 11B A conceptual diagram of electrodes in at least one embodimentof this disclosure.

FIG. 12A A conceptual diagram of a wave form chart observed whenvoltages having different frequencies are used in at least oneembodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 12B A wave form chart observed when voltages having differentfrequencies are used in at least one embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 12C A wave form chart observed when voltages having differentfrequencies are used in at least one embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 13A A conceptual diagram of a wave form chart observed whenvoltages having different frequencies are used in at least oneembodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 13B A wave form chart observed when voltages having differentfrequencies are used in at least one embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 13C A conceptual diagram of a wave form chart observed whenvoltages having different frequencies are used in at least oneembodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 13D A wave form chart observed when voltages having differentfrequencies are used in at least one embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 14 A diagram of installing electrodes in a refrigerator in at leastone embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 15 A diagram of installing the electrodes in a container in atleast one embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 16 A diagram of installing the electrodes in a fryer in at leastone embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 17 A block diagram of a moisture control apparatus according to atleast one embodiment of this disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A description is given below with reference to the drawings on amoisture control apparatus, moisture control method, program, storagemedium, and generated substance according to embodiments of thisdisclosure. However, the following embodiments are exemplification ofthe moisture control apparatus, moisture control method, program,storage medium, and generated substance for embodying the technicalconcept of this disclosure, and are not to limit this disclosurethereto, which means that the technical concept of this disclosure isequally applicable to other embodiments included in the scope of claims.While the description of the embodiments takes as an example free waterin the form of moisture contained in a substance, moisture contained ina substance in this disclosure is not limited to free water, and thisdisclosure is applicable to diverse forms of moisture, for example, anaqueous solution, water, and minute water drops contained in anemulsion.

A moisture control apparatus, a moisture control method, a program, astorage medium, a generated substance, a product, an apparatus, and anequipment according to at least one embodiment of this disclosure aredescribed with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 9.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a moisture control apparatus 1 in atleast one embodiment of this disclosure. The moisture control apparatus1 includes a controller 10 and a pair of electrodes 13 and 14. Thecontroller 10 includes an alternating current component voltagegenerator 11 and a direct current component voltage generator 12. Thealternating current component voltage generator 11 and the directcurrent component voltage generator 12 are not required to be providedseparately in an actual circuit configuration of the controller 10, anda circuit configuration in which a single unit has the functions of thetwo can be employed.

The controller 10 is provided with a communicator 35, a CPU 36, and astorage 37. The communicator 35 holds communication to/from a server 40to receive a control parameter and a control value from the server 40.The storage 37 stores a program. The CPU 36 uses the program stored inthe storage 37 to control an output voltage and/or an output current bycontrolling the alternating current component voltage generator 11 andthe direct current component voltage generator 12, which are built intothe controller 10, based on a control parameter and a control value,which are received from the server. The program can be rewritten fromthe server 40 via the communicator 35. The program on the controller 10may also be rewritten with the use of a removable memory by storing theprogram in a flash memory or a similar removable memory in advance.

A substance detection sensor 32 for detecting the type and/or state of asubstance placed between the electrodes is connected to the controller10. Through detection of the type and/or state of the substance, thecontroller 10 controls the built-in alternating current componentvoltage generator 11 and direct current component voltage generator 12so that the output voltage and/or the output current is suitable for thetype and/or state of the substance. The alternating current componentvoltage generator 11 and direct current component voltage generator 12built into the controller 10 have at least one function out of directcurrent-direct current conversion, direct current-alternating currentconversion, alternating current-direct current conversion, andalternating current-alternating current conversion as described later.

A man-machine interface 31 is connected to the controller 10 as well toenable an operator to operate the controller 10. Examples of theman-machine interface 31 include a display, a touch panel, a keyboard,and a mouse. When the controller 10 is operated with the use of asmartphone, a tablet terminal, or a notebook computer or any otherpersonal computer (hereinafter abbreviated as “PC”), the smartphone orthe like can serve as the man-machine interface 31, the communicator 35,and other components.

The controller 10 is connected to an external power source 39. Theexternal power source 39 can be an alternating current power source or adirect current power source and, in the case of a direct current powersource, can be a battery, examples of which include a primary batteryand a secondary battery. The use of a battery as the external powersource 39 is a convenient way to secure a power source when the moisturecontrol apparatus 1 is mobile, conveyable, or portable.

The controller 10 performs feedback control on at least one of thecurrent value, voltage value, frequency, or phase of a voltage/currentapplied to the electrodes, based on a detection signal from a detector38, which is described later.

A substance that is a processing object is placed between the electrodes13 and 14. The processing object is not limited to a particularsubstance, as long as the substance is at least one of a solid, aliquid, or a gas, and can be a diversity of substances as describedlater.

[On Electrodes]

Plate-shaped electrodes are in FIG. 1 as an example of the pair ofelectrodes 13 and 14. However, the form of the electrodes 13 and 14 isnot limited to a plate shape and can be foil-like, film-like, orflake-like, and further diverse shapes including a rod-shape, aspherical shape, a hemispherical shape, and a rough L shape can beemployed. The electrodes 13 and 14 that are foil-like or film-like canbe made very thin, and accordingly require a smaller space to install,are lighter in weight, and are easy to install. Examples of a flake-likeelectrode include, for example, an electrode shaped like a thin film andoverlaid on a given base.

The shape of the electrodes 13 and 14 is not limited to a plate shapeand can be any shape. The electrodes 13 and 14 that are foil-like can bemolded into any shape to fit the shape of the place in which theelectrodes 13 and 14 are installed, for example, a curved shape.

A plurality of through-holes may be formed in the electrodes 13 and 14.With a plurality of through-holes formed in the electrodes, theelectrodes can have improved characteristics with regards to thegeneration of electromagnetic waves from the electrodes, as well as airpermeability and, moreover, visibility can be secured through theelectrodes. The holes can adopt various shapes including a circularshape, an elliptical shape, or a polygonal shape. For example, hexagonalholes may be formed.

The electrodes 13 and 14 are not limited to a particular material aslong as the material is conductive. Examples of a conductive materialthat is employed include copper, iron, stainless steel, aluminum,titanium, gold, silver, platinum, and other conductive metals, alloys ofthe conductive metals, conductive oxides, or conductive glass. Surfacesof the electrodes 13 and 14 may be covered with an insulating material.The material of one of the electrodes 13 and 14 may differ from thematerial of the other of the electrodes 13 and 14. For example,stainless steel may be used as the material of the electrode 13 whilethe material of the electrode 14 is titanium. Examples of tther possiblecombinations include stainless steel and aluminum, and stainless steeland copper. The characteristics of electromagnetic waves generated fromthe electrodes 13 and 14 can be adjusted by changing the materials ofthe electrodes 13 and 14. The characteristics of the electromagneticwaves can be changed also by switching the material of the electrode 13and the material of the electrode 14 with each other. The number ofelectrodes is not limited to two as a pair, and can be one, more thantwo, two pairs or more, or any suitable number. In this case, too, thecharacteristics of an electromagnetic wave generated from an electrodecan be adjusted by selecting a suitable material for the electrode. Whentwo pairs of electrodes are used, for example, the characteristics ofelectromagnetic waves generated from the electrodes can be adjusted byusing stainless steel as the material of one pair of electrodes andusing copper as the material of the other pair of electrodes. Theelectrodes 13 and 14 generate at least one of an electric field, amagnetic field, an electromagnetic field, an electromagnetic wave, asonic wave, or a supersonic wave. When the electrodes 13 and 14 are togenerate only a sonic wave or a supersonic wave, the material of theelectrodes 13 and 14 is not limited to conductive materials and can bean on-conductive material, for example, resin.

A special housing in which the moisture control apparatus 1 is installedmay be provided. However, this is not the only option and the moisturecontrol apparatus 1 may be installed in an existing housing, forexample. The existing housing in which the moisture control apparatus 1can be installed can be selected from among various types of housingsuch as a refrigerator, a freezer, a refrigerated warehouse, a freezerwarehouse, a storage building, a refrigerator car, a freezer car, acooler box, a conveyance container, a storage container, a showcase, ashelf, a drawer, a fryer, a cultivation receptacle (e.g., for use inhydroponics), a fuel tank, a personal computer, a cellular phone, a sofabed, furniture, bedding, a home appliance, a manufacturing device of atype found in a factory, a fabricating device, a medical device, ahealth device, a beauty device, a cooking appliance, a polishing device,a vehicle, a washing device for semiconductors, and a device forcontrolling water vapor that is generated during cooling in a smeltingprocess, a baking process, and a drying process.

In the case of a refrigerator, the pair of electrodes 13 and 14 can bearranged so as to lie along surfaces in the interior of therefrigerator, for example, along opposing side walls, along a ceilingsurface, a shelf, and a bottom surface, along a ceiling surface, abottom surface, and a side surface, or along a door-side inner surfaceand a side surface at the back. In the case of a fryer, the electrodes13 and 14 are arranged so as to lie along, for example, the inner leftand right side surfaces of an oil receptacle. In short, the pair ofelectrodes 13 and 14 can be arranged in any manner as long as theelectrodes 13 and 14 are opposed to each other. There is no need toarrange the pair of electrodes in parallel to each other and, forexample, a positional relation in which the two electrodes are verticalto each other may be used. The two electrodes may be arranged in anymanner as long as a space for placing a substance that is a processingobject can be provided between the electrodes.

The moisture control apparatus 1 is not required to be installed in ahousing and can be installed in any place as long as the pair ofelectrodes can be arranged in the place. The moisture control apparatus1 can be installed in any place as long as the pair of electrodes 13 and14 can be arranged so as to oppose each other, for example, shelves orwalls. A partition-like member (not shown), for example, may be used tofix the electrodes 13 and 14.

[On Voltages Applied to the Electrodes]

At least a direct current component voltage is applied to the pair ofelectrodes 13 and 14 from the controller 10, and an alternating currentcomponent voltage may additionally be applied. The direct currentcomponent voltage is not particularly limited, and is adjustable between0 V and 2,000 V, for example. The direct current component voltage mayalso be adjusted between 0 V and 1,000 V, for example, or between 5 Vand 20 V, for example, or between 10 V and 15 V, for example.

The alternating current component voltage may be set to, for example, 0V so that only the direct current component voltage is applied to thepair of electrodes 13 and 14, to which at least a direct currentcomponent voltage is to be applied.

The direct current component voltage can have a plus (+) direction or aminus (−) direction. In at least one embodiment, the direction of thedirect current component voltage is plus when the electric potential ofthe electrode 14 is higher than the electric potential of the electrode13 (the earth potential), and is minus in the opposite case in which theelectric potential of the electrode 14 is lower than the electricpotential of the electrode 13. An effect of improving the properties ofa substance is obtained both when the direct current component voltageis plus and when the direct current component voltage is minus.

An alternating current component voltage in addition to a direct currentcomponent voltage can be applied to the pair of electrodes 13 and 14.The frequency of the alternating current component voltage is notparticularly limited, and can be adjusted between 0 Hz and 1 MHz, forexample, or between 50 kHz and 200 kHz, for example, or between 50 kHzand 100 kHz, for example.

The alternating current component voltage is not limited to a particularvoltage, and the peak-to-peak voltage of the space-charge field percentimeter is adjustable between 0 Vpp/cm and 2,000 Vpp/cm, for example.The voltage may also be adjusted between 50 Vpp/cm and 500 Vpp/cm, forexample, or between 100 Vpp/cm and 250 Vpp/cm, for example.

The effect of improving the properties of a substance is high when adirect current component voltage is applied. However, the effect can beobtained also when an alternating current component voltage is appliedalone, e.g., by setting the direct current component voltage to 0 V.

As described above, the external power source can be an alternatingcurrent power source or a direct current power source irrespective ofwhether the voltage of the external power source is a direct currentvoltage or an alternating current voltage. A commercial power source,for example, can be used as the alternating current power source.Batteries including primary batteries and secondary batteries are anexample of the direct current power source, and a 12-volt battery, adry-cell battery, or various other batteries can be used.

Methods of adjusting the voltage value of the direct current componentvoltage in the controller 10 include, among others, one in which thevoltage of the direct current power source is controlled by a DC-DCconverter, and one in which the voltage is controlled by a DC-DCconverter at the time when, or after, the alternating current powersource is rectified by an AC-DC converter. Methods of adjusting thevoltage value and frequency of the alternating current component voltagein the controller 10 include, among others, one in which the directcurrent power source is controlled by a DC-AC converter (inverter), onein which the alternating current power source is rectified by an AC-DCconverter and then controlled by a DC-AC converter (inverter), and onein which the alternating current power source is controlled by an AC-ACconverter.

When a target voltage value of the direct current component voltage isequal to the power supply voltage of the direct current power source,the exact power supply voltage of the direct current power source may beused as the direct current component voltage. Similarly, when a targetvoltage and target frequency of the alternating current componentvoltage are equal to the voltage value and frequency of the power supplyvoltage of the alternating current power source, the exact power supplyvoltage of the alternating current power source may be used as thealternating current component voltage.

The direct current component voltage and the alternating currentcomponent voltage are added together, in other words, the direct currentcomponent voltage is added as an offset voltage to the alternatingcurrent component voltage. The added voltages are applied between thepair of electrodes 13 and 14. Alternatively, the direct currentcomponent voltage may be controlled when the alternating currentcomponent voltage is controlled in power conversion with the use of aDC-AC converter, for example.

[On Control with the Controller]

The moisture control apparatus 1 is driven by the controller 10 togenerate an electric field between the pair of electrodes 13 and 14. Theelectrodes 13 and 14 at this point function as antennas, and anelectromagnetic field is generated by the emission of an electromagneticwave between the electrodes 13 and 14. A sonic wave and/or a supersonicwave can be generated between the electrodes as well by vibrating theelectrodes 13 and 14 with electrical, magnetic, or mechanical means. Apiezoelectric element can also be used as means for generating a sonicwave and/or a supersonic wave between the electrodes. At least one outof an electric field, a magnetic field, an electromagnetic field, anelectromagnetic wave, a sonic wave, or a supersonic wave is accordinglygenerated between the electrodes 13 and 14. The effect of improving thecharacteristics of a substance is enhanced by using a sonic wave and/ora supersonic wave in addition to an electric field, a magnetic field, anelectromagnetic field, or an electromagnetic wave.

The controller 10 performs feedback control on at least one of thecurrent value, voltage value, frequency, or phase of a voltage/currentapplied to the electrodes, based on a detection signal from the detector38. The detector 38 includes at least one of a voltage sensor, whichdetects a voltage applied to the electrodes, a current sensor, whichdetects a current applied to the electrodes, a frequency sensor, whichdetects the frequency of a voltage and/or current applied to theelectrodes, a phase sensor, which detects the phase of a voltage and/orcurrent applied to the electrode, a magnetic field sensor, which detectsa magnetic field between the electrodes 13 and 14, an electric fieldsensor, which detects an electric field between the electrodes 13 and14, a sonic wave sensor, which detects the magnitude or frequency of asonic wave between the electrodes 13 and 14, or a supersonic wavesensor, which detects the magnitude or frequency of a supersonic wavebetween the electrodes 13 and 14.

A control target value suitable for the type or state of a substancethat is a processing object is set for at least one of the currentvalue, the voltage value, the frequency, or the phase in the controller10. The control target value can be set remotely via a communicationinstrument (not shown). A control parameter and control amount of thecontroller 10 can also be controlled remotely. This enables the server40 that is in a remote site to control the controllers 10 of theplurality of moisture control apparatus 1 in a centralized manner, sothat each controller 10 can be controlled properly. The mode of controlof each controller 10 is not limited to remote control from the server40 and, for instance, the controller 10 of each moisture controlapparatus 1 may be controlled individually by setting a control targetvalue and a control parameter directly to the controller 10.

The controller 10 is provided with the storage 37 in which a controlprogram is stored. The controller 10 is controlled based on the controlprogram. The control program is rewritable through communication or viaa storage medium, and can accordingly be updated and upgraded to a newversion as required. The controller 10 and the server 40 can holdcommunication to and from each other, and the storage 37 stores acontrol parameter, control amount, control program, or various setvalues sent from the server 40. The control program can be stored on asuitable non-transitory storage medium.

FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of water molecules in which freely movingwater molecules. FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram of water molecules in apearl chain formation.

A substance that is a processing object, for example, meat, fish,vegetables, and other types of food, drinks, animal cells, plant cells,and oil, contains water molecules as moisture in the form of free wateror other forms.

Water molecules (H₂O) are normally aligned irregularly as in FIG. 2A.This lets a hydrogen atom H take in reactive oxygen 30 or form ahydrogen bond, thereby increasing the size of the water molecule andslowing down the motion of the water molecule. Oxidization of the watermolecule is then started.

When an electric field is generated between the pair of electrodes 13and 14, on the other hand, water molecules are aligned in a certaindirection determined by the phase and direction of an electrical fieldapplied by the pair of electrodes 13 and 14. This is because, in a watermolecule, oxygen atoms O, which strongly attract electrons, are chargedslightly negatively and the hydrogen atom H, which readily releaseselectrons, is charged slightly positively, and the oxygen atoms and thehydrogen atom each attempt to align in the direction of the electricfield between the electrodes 13 and 14.

Water molecules change directions alternatingly when an alternatingcurrent component voltage is generated by the controller 10. The watermolecules in this case change directions at the same frequency as thefrequency of the alternating current component voltage, which makes thewater molecules appear to be vibrating. With the repetition of thisvibration, a hydrogen bond of a water molecule to the active oxygen 30or to another component is broken and each water molecule is graduallygranulated in a regular pattern to be aligned as in FIG. 2B.

A similar action is observed also between water particles (minute waterdrops) as moisture existing in a substance in the form of free water orother forms. The electric field between the pair of electrodes 13 and 14accordingly causes water particles to form a pearl chain formation byattracting one another.

When a direct current component voltage is applied between the pair ofelectrodes 13 and 14, there is a component force by which watermolecules attempt to align in the direction of an electric field causedby the direct current component voltage. Water molecules are thereforealigned in a regular pattern also when a direct current componentvoltage alone is applied between the pair of electrodes 13 and 14. Whenan alternating current component voltage is further applied in additionto the direct current component voltage, the water molecules changedirections at the same frequency as the frequency of the alternatingcurrent component voltage, and there is also a component force by whichthe water molecules attempt to align in one direction, thus making thewater molecules more likely to align in a regular pattern. The sameapplies to the state of water particles, and an electric field betweenthe pair of electrodes 13 and 14 causes water particles as moisture inthe form of free water or other forms to form a pearl chain formation byattracting one another.

Water molecules change directions at the same frequency as the frequencyof an alternating current component voltage and consequently seem asthough the water molecules are vibrating also when the voltage appliedbetween the pair of electrodes 13 and 14 includes the alternatingcurrent component voltage alone and no direct current component voltage.With the repetition of this vibration, a hydrogen bond of a watermolecule to the active oxygen 30 or to another component is broken andeach water molecule is gradually granulated in a regular pattern to bealigned. When the voltage applied between the pair of electrodes 13 and14 includes an alternating current component voltage alone and no directcurrent component voltage, the alternating current component voltageworks in the same way on the state of water particles, and an electricfield between the pair of electrodes 13 and 14 causes water particles asmoisture in the form of free water or other forms to form a pearl chainformation by attracting one another.

A sonic wave or a supersonic wave has the action of vibrating watermolecules. An effect of accelerating the alignment of water molecules isaccordingly obtained by additionally generating a sonic wave and/orsupersonic wave of a given frequency and a given intensity between thepair of electrodes 13 and 14 when a direct current component voltageand/or an alternating current component voltage is applied between theelectrodes. Water molecules vibrated by a given sonic wave and/orsupersonic wave can be arrayed without the application of a voltagebetween the electrodes.

Water can be divided into “bound water” and“free water”. Bound water isin a stable state by forming a hydrogen bond with another component.Free water, on the other hand, is in a state that allows free movementof the water molecule. When a substance containing free water is food,the food is fresh and succulent. However, a molecule of free waterreadily forms a bond with another component, and food containing freewater is consequently more susceptible to decomposition. Specifically, agerm, a virus, a microbe, or active oxygen bonds with free water toaccelerate decay. Bound water, too, turns into free water with thepassage of time, with a rise in temperature, or in a dry environment,and the change from bound water into free water removes part of a cellcomponent with which a hydrogen bond was previously formed, therebyfacilitating decomposition. Freshness can accordingly be maintained byputting free water into a bonded state (to be discriminated from the“state of bound water” described above) in which water molecules are ina pearl chain formation, or into a state in which a bond with anothercell or the like is formed.

Water molecules arranged into a pearl chain formation by the moisturecontrol apparatus 1 according to at least one embodiment form astructure in which free water and free water bond with each other tocreate a stable state similar to that of bound water. In other words,water molecules aligned in a regular pattern by the moisture controlapparatus 1 according to at least one embodiment do not bond with othercomponents while being held within a substance, and are thereforecapable of keeping the food fresh and succulent.

The alignment of water molecules of free water in a substance canaccordingly be controlled in a receptacle in which the moisture controlapparatus 1 according to at least one embodiment is installed and, whenthe substance is food, a drug, or a cell, the freshness of the food, thedrug, or the cell can be maintained. For example, food can maintainfreshness during transportation for a longer distance than before byusing the moisture control apparatus 1 as a transportation receptacle.The receptacle may be made of, for example, polystyrene foam, and atransportation receptacle can be constructed by mounting the moisturecontrol apparatus 1 according to at least one embodiment to an existingpolystyrene foam receptacle or the like.

Water molecules once aligned in a regular pattern by the moisturecontrol apparatus 1 according to at least one embodiment retain theregularly aligned state for several days. Food, a drug, or a cell as asubstance that is a processing object can accordingly maintain freshnesseven when the food, the drug, or the cell is moved to a differentreceptacle for storage after water molecules of free water in the food,the drug, or the cell are arranged into a pearl chain formation by themoisture control apparatus 1 according to at least one embodiment.

Water molecules in the moisture of a substance are electrically arrayedand oriented in a substantially fixed direction (the direction of theelectric field) by the application of a given voltage to the electrodes13 and 14. With the water molecules arrayed, the conductivity of thesubstance increases. Water molecules in a substance that is liquid canbe arrayed as well, which means that the conductivity of pure water, forexample, can be raised. In addition, water molecules in an electricfield vibrate finely at a certain frequency, and are consequently notcrystallized around 0° C.

The application of a given voltage to the electrodes 13 and 14 alsohelps to prevents water molecules in a substance to form a hydrogen bondand, with hydrogen bonds reduced in number, physiological water, forexample, can be obtained. The addition of fine bubbles, micro-nanobubbles, nanobubbles, or the like to this water yields water with evenmore sophisticated functions. The sophistication of functions of aliquid by an electric field and fine bubbles is not limited to water andis applicable to, for example, aqueous solutions, emulsions, and oils aswell.

The application of a given voltage to the electrodes 13 and 14 alsoaccelerates hydration with water molecules in the moisture of asubstance. For example, protein contained in a substance is hydrated andbonds with water molecules to be surrounded by water molecules. Thisstate prevents the substance from deteriorating.

FIG. 3A is a micrograph of free water in the state of free water priorto the application of an electric field. FIG. 3B is a micrograph of freewater in the state of free water at the time of application of anelectric field. In free water to which an electric field is applied, apearl chain formation of water particles is confirmed in places markedby white underlines as shown in FIG. 3B. In free water to which anelectric field is yet to be applied, on the other hand, a pearl chainformation of water particles is not confirmed as shown in FIG. 3A. FIGS.3A and 3B indicate that the moisture control apparatus 1 according to atleast one embodiment is capable of arranging water particles of freewater into a pearl chain formation.

FIG. 4A is an explanatory diagram of a simulation model of a result ofsimulation about the electric potential of water particles. FIG. 4B is aresult of the electric potential simulation. The simulation model has,as free water, four water particles in a pearl chain formation at acentral portion and two independent water particles to the left of thealigned water particles as in FIG. 4A.

Three equipotential areas in vertical sections along a longitudinaldirection of water particles are in FIG. 4B. In a part of the right-mostsection, water particles are in a pearl chain formation, and it can beseen that the water particles in a pearl chain formation areequipotential. Areas of four water particles forming a pearl chainformation in a central portion of FIG. 4B are colored in substantiallythe same color, which indicates that the areas of the four waterparticles in a pearl chain formation are substantially equipotential.

Electric flux lines run in the four water particles forming a pearlchain formation, which indicates that the four water particles attractone another. Electric flux lines from the four water particles forming apearl chain formation also run in two independent water particles, whichare located at a distance to the left of the four water particlesforming a pearl chain formation. This implies that a force is working ina direction in which the two independent water particles are attractedto the four water particles forming a pearl chain formation, and thereis a possibility that the two independent water particles join the fourwater particles forming a pearl chain formation.

FIG. 5 is a photograph of the result of preserving sea bream for 5 days.The result of preservation in an ordinary refrigerator is shown on theleft side of the photograph, and a case in which an electromagneticfield is applied by the moisture control apparatus 1 according to atleast one embodiment is shown on the right side of the photograph. Thesea bream on the left side of the photograph is decomposed due to a bondbetween a germ, a virus, or active oxygen and free water. On the rightside of the photograph, on the other hand, water particles as free waterare arranged in a pearl chain formation, and a germ, a virus, or activeoxygen is consequently separated from free water, which slows downdecomposition.

A comparison has been made between sea bream preserved in an ordinaryrefrigerator for 48 hours and sea bream preserved for 47 hours after anelectromagnetic field is applied for an hour by the moisture controlapparatus 1 according to at least one embodiment. The comparison revealsthat the latter is slower in the progression of decay. This indicatesthat, once water particles as free water in a substance are arrangedinto a pearl chain formation with the application of an electromagneticfield to the substance by the moisture control apparatus 1 according toat least one embodiment, the water particles maintain the pearl chainformation for a given length of time after the substance is taken out ofthe electromagnetic field.

FIG. 6 is a photograph of the result of preserving bean sprouts for 10days. The result of preservation in an ordinary refrigerator is shown onthe left photograph, and a case in which an electromagnetic field isapplied by the moisture control apparatus 1 according to at least oneembodiment is shown on the right photograph. In the left photograph,free water contained in the bean sprouts has leaked and the amount ofmoisture dripped is 27 g. In the right photograph, on the other hand,water particles as free water contained in the bean sprouts are arrangedin a pearl chain formation, which means that the free water is heldinside the bean sprouts, and the amount of moisture dripped is 1 g.

FIG. 7 is a photograph of the result of preserving pea sprouts for 35days. The result of preservation in an ordinary refrigerator is shown onthe left photograph, and a case in which an electromagnetic field isapplied by the moisture control apparatus 1 according to at least oneembodiment is shown on the right photograph. In the left photograph,free water contained in the pea sprouts has drained, resulting in theloss of freshness and a reduction of weight by 15% due to theevaporation of moisture. In the right photograph, water particles asfree water contained in the pea sprouts are arranged in a pearl chainformation to bond with one another, which makes it hard for the freewater to evaporate and accordingly keeps the pea sprouts fresh. Theweight reduction in the right photograph is kept at 8%.

[On the Lowering of Interfacial Tension]

The interfacial tension in a W/O emulsion (for example, minute waterdrops in cooking oil) can be lowered with the application of anelectromagnetic field by the moisture control apparatus 1 according tothe first embodiment. The interfacial tension in this case can belowered by, for example, 10% or more and, depending on conditions of theelectromagnetic field, 20% or more. The interfacial tension can even belowered by 60% or more by, for example, controlling the direct currentcomponent voltage and the alternating current component voltageproperly. This is considered to be due to an increase in interfacialpolarization caused by the application of the electromagnetic field.

For example, when moisture contained in food that is being cooked incooking oil turns into water vapor in the cooking oil, water dropsescaping the food into the cooking oil are minute water drops. Wheninterfacial polarization is caused in the minute water drops at a levelenough to lower the interfacial tension, dipole-dipole attraction causesthe minute water drops to form a pearl chain formation.

When food is fried in cooking oil with the use of a fryer, theinterfacial tension at the oil-water boundary can be lowered byinstalling the pair of electrodes 13 and 14 of the moisture controlapparatus 1 according to at least one embodiment in the fryer. Moisturecontained in food that is being cooked in cooking oil generally turnsinto water vapor in the cooking oil, thereby causing a sudden boil-up.The moisture control apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment iscapable of lowering the surface tension at the oil-water boundary bygenerating a given electromagnetic field. This facilitates thedispersion of moisture escaping the food throughout the cooking oil inthe form of minute bubbles small in particle size. The scale of thesudden boil-up is accordingly reduced despite the vaporization of themoisture into water vapor in the cooking oil in which the moisture isheated. The application of the electromagnetic field also hinders theescape of moisture from food by causing water particles of free waterthat is contained in food to form a pearl chain formation. An effect ofreducing the permeation of the oil into food is thus obtained bypreventing sudden boil-up through the control of moisture contained inthe food. Further, because of the effect, the cooked food acquires trulyexcellent texture and flavor.

FIG. 8 is a photograph for showing the state of oil in food cooked incooking oil. An appearance of food cooked in a fryer of the related artis shown in an upper left portion of the photograph. How food cooked ina fryer looks when the pair of electrodes 13 and 14 of the moisturecontrol apparatus 1 according to at least one embodiment is installed inthe fryer is shown in an upper right portion of the photograph.Appearances of pieces of oil absorbent paper left under cooked food areshown in lower portions of the photograph. The oil stain in a lowerright portion of the photograph is smaller than the oil stain in a lowerleft portion of the photograph. One of ordinary skill in the art wouldrecognize that the oil absorption amount is smaller in the upper rightfood, which is the food cooked with the use of the moisture controlapparatus 1 according to at least one embodiment, than in the upper leftfood, which is the food cooked with the fryer of the related art. Theoil absorption amount of the food cooked with the use of the moisturecontrol apparatus 1 according to at least one embodiment isapproximately 50% less than the oil absorption amount of the food cookedwith the fryer of the related art. This indicates that, through use ofthe moisture control apparatus 1 according to at least one embodiment,food cooked in cooking oil can keep a favorable texture for a longertime after the cooking, and is reduced in oil content. The reduced oilcontent in the food helps to reduce the oil intake, which is beneficialfrom the standpoint of health.

[On Applicable Objects]

The effect of controlling arrangement of water molecules of free wateris not limited to food, and the adoptable substance may be, for example,at least one selected from the group consisting of:

(1) one of articles of food including agricultural products, flowers,animal products, aquatic products, processed food, health food,beverages, alcoholic drink, dry foods, stocks, and seasoning,

(2) one of products including resin, rubber, glass, lenses, pottery,lumber, cement, concrete, paper, ink, dye, fibers, ceramics, polishingagents, washing agents, additives, printed boards, plating, refiningmaterials, paint, Chinese ink, water repellents, chemical products,fertilizer, animal feed, microbes, water, cloth, and explosives,

(3) fuel including gasoline, light gas oil, heavy fuel oil, kerosene,and petroleum,

(4) one of medical products including blood, vaccines, drugs, organs,cells, ointments, dialyzers, and medical treatment instruments, and

(5) one of commodities including beauty products, detergents, soaps,shampoos, and hair care products.

However, the group is not limited thereto, and the effect may be appliedto any other substance as long as the substance includes free water.

For example, water particles of free water contained in pottery arearranged into a pearl chain formation with the use of an electromagneticfield, thereby enabling the pottery to retain free water andconsequently reducing cracks in the pottery. Similarly, cement andconcrete can be enhanced in strength and reduced in the number of cracksby arranging water particles of free water contained in the substanceinto a pearl chain formation through the application of anelectromagnetic field.

When an electromagnetic field is applied to fuel, for example, gasolineor light gas oil, the surface tension in the W/O emulsion is lowered,and water particles are consequently turned into minute water drops,which are small in particle size and easy to disperse. The applicationof the electromagnetic field also causes the water particles to togetherform a pearl chain formation, thereby enhancing a fuel qualityimprovement effect and improving fuel efficiency.

When an electromagnetic field is applied to, for example, blood, avaccine, a drug, an organ, a cell, or a similar substance to arrangewater particles of free water contained in the substance into a pearlchain formation, the substance can be stored in a favorable state for alonger storage period.

The application of an electromagnetic field to, for example, a beautyproduct turns water particles contained in the beauty product intominute water drops, which are small in particle size and easy todisperse. The application of the electromagnetic field also puts theminute water drops into a pearl chain formation, thereby improving thecharacteristics of the beauty product.

Further, the moisture control apparatus 1 may be applied to, forexample, at least one field out of a manufacturing field, a distributionfield, a logistics field, a storage field, a sales field, an industrialfield, a construction field, a civil engineering field, a machine field,an electricity field, an electronics field, a communications field, anoptics field, a chemistry field, a petroleum chemistry field, anagricultural field, a mercantile field, a fisheries field, a food field,a food service field, a culinary field, a service field, a medicalfield, a health field, a welfare field, or a nursing care field.However, the field is not limited thereto, and the moisture controlapparatus can be applied to any other field dealing with a wider varietyof substances.

FIG. 9 is a comparison result of hydroponics. Upper three photographsare pictures of a cultivation method of the related art, and lower threephotographs are pictures of a cultivation method in which water isprocessed by the moisture control apparatus 1 according to at least oneembodiment. The three photographs in the upper row and the lower roweach are, from left to right, a photograph of Day 1, a photograph of Day7, and a photograph of Day 12. In the case of the cultivation method ofthe related art (the upper three photographs of FIG. 9), the growth of aleaf vegetable varies from location to location, and algae has developedas well. With the cultivation method in which water is treated by themoisture control apparatus 1 according to at least one embodiment (thelower three photographs), on the other hand, the leaf vegetable hasgrown finely at a fast rate that is uniform irrespective of location,and there is less development of algae.

The moisture control apparatus 1 according to at least one embodiment,when applied to the medical field, for example, is effective inartificial dialysis, diabetes treatment, the reduction/prevention of bedsores, the reduction/prevention of necrosis, and thereduction/prevention of a circulatory organ problem, for example.

A moisture control apparatus, a moisture control method, a program, astorage medium, a generated substance, a product, an apparatus, and anequipment according to at least one embodiment are described withreference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram of an electrodeaccording to at least one embodiment. The same components as those inFIG. 1 to FIG. 9 are denoted by the same reference symbols, anddescriptions of the components are omitted. The moisture controlapparatus in FIG. 10 includes two pairs of electrodes.

A moisture control apparatus 1A includes controllers 10A and 10B and, astwo pairs of electrodes, first electrodes 13 and 14 and secondelectrodes 15 and 16. The controllers 10A and 10B each include analternating current component voltage generator and a direct currentcomponent voltage generator. The alternating current component voltagegenerator and the direct current component voltage generator are notrequired to be provided separately in an actual circuit configuration ofthe controller 10, and a circuit configuration in which a single unithas the functions of the two can be employed. The two controllers 10Aand 10B may be configured as a single controller. The single controllermay apply a voltage to the first electrodes 13 and 14 and the secondelectrodes 15 and 16 both as long as the same electromagnetic wave isgenerated from the first electrodes 13 and 14 and from the secondelectrodes 15 and 16.

The moisture control apparatus 1A is driven by the controllers 10A and10B to generate an electric field between the pair of first electrodes13 and 14 and an electric field between the pair of second electrodes 15and 16. The electrodes 13 to 16 at this point function as antennas, andan electromagnetic field is generated by the emission of anelectromagnetic wave between the first electrodes 13 and 14 and betweenthe second electrodes 15 and 16 each. At least one out of an electricfield, a magnetic field, an electromagnetic field, or an electromagneticwave is accordingly generated between the electrodes 13 and 14 andbetween the electrodes 15 and 16. As described above, a sonic waveand/or a supersonic wave can be generated between the electrodes 13 and14 as well by vibrating the electrodes with electrical, magnetic, ormechanical means. Water molecules vibrated by a given sonic wave and/orsupersonic wave can be arrayed without the application of a voltagebetween the electrodes.

A substance that is a processing object is placed between the firstelectrodes 13 and 14 and between the second electrodes 15 and 16. Asdescribed above, the processing object is not limited to a particularsubstance, as long as the substance is at least one of a solid, aliquid, or a gas. When the moisture control apparatus 1A according to atleast one embodiment is installed in a refrigerator, the firstelectrodes 13 and 14 can be installed on inner side surfaces of therefrigerator while the second electrodes 15 and 16 are installed on therefrigerator's inner ceiling surface, inner bottom surface or shelf, forexample. The first electrodes 13 and 14 and the second electrodes 15 and16 in FIG. 10 are arranged so as to be orthogonal to each other.However, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the firstelectrodes 13 and 14 and the second electrodes 15 and 16 can be arrangedin any manner as long as at least a part of an electromagnetic fieldgenerated by the first electrodes 13 and 14 and an electromagnetic fieldgenerated by the second electrodes 15 and 16 works on a substance thatis a processing object.

The controllers 10A and 10B perform feedback control on at least one ofthe current value, voltage value, frequency, or phase of avoltage/current applied to the electrodes, based on a detection signalfrom a detector (not shown). The detector includes at least one of avoltage sensor, which detects a voltage applied to the electrodes, acurrent sensor, which detects a current applied to the electrodes, afrequency sensor, which detects the frequency of a voltage and/orcurrent applied to the electrodes, a magnetic field sensor, whichdetects a magnetic field between the electrodes 13 and 14 and a magneticfield between the electrodes 15 and 16, an electric field sensor, whichdetects an electric field between the electrodes 13 and 14 and anelectric field between the electrodes 15 and 16, a voltage phasedetection sensor, a current phase detection sensor, or a voltagephase-current phase detection sensor.

A control target value suitable for the type or state of a substancethat is a processing object is set for at least one of the currentvalue, the voltage value, the frequency, or the phase in the controllers10A and 10B. The current value, voltage value, frequency, and phase of avoltage/current applied by the controller 10A to the first electrodes 13and 14 may be the same as or differ from the current value, voltagevalue, frequency, and phase of a voltage/current applied by thecontroller 10B to the second electrodes 15 and 16. Various combinationscan be adopted, for example, one in which the voltage applied by thecontroller 10A and the voltage applied by the controller 10B differ fromeach other in voltage value and frequency, one in which thevoltage/current applied by the controller 10A and the voltage/currentapplied by the controller 10B differ from each other in frequency alone,and one in which the voltage/current applied by the controller 10A andthe voltage/current applied by the controller 10B differ from each otherin frequency and phase.

The control target value can be set remotely via a communicationinstrument (not shown). Control parameters and control amounts of thecontrollers 10A and 10B can also be controlled remotely. This enablesthe server 40 that is in a remote site to control the controllers 10Aand 10B of the plurality of moisture control apparatus 1A in acentralized manner, so that each pair of controllers 10A and 10B can becontrolled properly. The mode of control of the controllers 10A and 10Bis not limited to remote control from the server 40 and, for instance,the controllers 10A and 10B of each moisture control apparatus 1A may becontrolled individually by setting a control target value and a controlparameter directly to the controllers 10A and 10B.

FIG. 11A is a conceptual diagram of electrodes using one electrode in atleast one embodiment of this disclosure. FIG. 11B is a conceptualdiagram of two electrodes opposed to the one electrode in at least oneembodiment of this disclosure. This disclosure is not limited to theexample in which one pair of electrodes is used and the example in whichtwo pairs of electrodes are used. An odd number of electrodes, forexample, one electrode or three electrodes, may be used as in FIGS. 11Aand 11B. For instance, an electromagnetic wave can be generated also bya single electrode 17 in FIG. 11A. When three electrodes are used, twoelectrodes, 19 and 20, may be opposed to one electrode 18, as in FIG.11B, or all three electrodes may generate different electromagneticwaves. The number and arrangement of electrodes can thus be set at one'sdiscretion and are not limited.

A moisture control apparatus, a moisture control method, a program, astorage medium, a generated substance, a product, an apparatus, and anequipment according to at least one embodiment of this disclosure aredescribed with reference to FIG. 12 and FIG. 13. FIGS. 12A-D are waveform charts observed when voltages having different frequencies are usedin at least one embodiment. FIG. 13 are wave form charts observed whenvoltages having different phases are used in at least one embodiment.The same components as those in FIG. 1 to FIG. 11 are denoted by thesame reference symbols, and descriptions of the components are omitted.A moisture control apparatus 1B according to at least one embodimentincludes a different electromagnetic wave is generated from each of twoelectrodes forming a pair.

In FIGS. 12A-12D, an electromagnetic wave (a P-wave) having a frequencyof 50 kHz is generated from an electrode 21A, which is one of a pair ofelectrodes 21A and 21B, and an electromagnetic wave (a Q-wave) having afrequency of 47 kHz is generated from the other electrode 21B. When theamplitude of an electromagnetic wave is given as A, the P-wave and theQ-wave are expressed by the following expressions, which express thewaves at a point where V(t) of the P-wave and V(t) of the Q-wave areboth 0 (for example, the exact midpoint between the electrodes 21A and21B) at a time t=0:

V(t)=A sin(2πf ₁ t), f ₁=50 kHz  P-wave:

V(t)=A sin(2πf ₂ t), f ₂=47 kHz  Q-wave:

An electromagnetic wave that is a combination of the P-wave and theQ-wave is accordingly applied between the pair of electrodes 21A and 21Bas in FIG. 12C.

In FIG. 13A and FIG. 13B, an electromagnetic wave (a P-wave) having afrequency of 50 kHz is generated from an electrode 22A, which is one ofa pair of electrodes 22A and 22B, and an electromagnetic wave (a Q-wave)having a frequency of 30 kHz is generated from the other electrode 22B.The phases a of those waveforms are both 0. When the amplitude of anelectromagnetic wave is given as A, the P-wave and the Q-wave areexpressed by the following expressions, which express the waves at apoint where V(t) of the P-wave and V(t) of the Q-wave are both 0 (forexample, the exact midpoint between the electrodes 22A and 22B) at atime t=0:

V(t)=A sin(2πf ₁ t), f ₁=50 kHz  P-wave:

V(t)=A sin(2πf ₂ t), f ₂=30 kHz  Q-wave:

An electromagnetic wave that is a combination of the P-wave and theQ-wave is accordingly applied between the pair of electrodes 22A and 22Bas in FIG. 13B.

In FIG. 13C and FIG. 13D, an electromagnetic wave (a P-wave) having afrequency of 50 kHz and a phase of α=0 is generated from an electrode23A, which is one of a pair of electrodes 23A and 23B, and anelectromagnetic wave (a Q-wave) having a frequency of 30 kHz and a phaseof α=π/2 is generated from the other electrode 23B. That is, the phasesof those waveforms are both set to π/2. When the amplitude of anelectromagnetic wave is given as A, the P-wave and the Q-wave areexpressed by the following expressions, which express the waves at apoint where V(t) of the P-wave is 0 and V(t) of the Q-wave is A (forexample, the exact midpoint between the electrodes 23A and 23B) at atime t=0:

V(t)=A sin(2πf ₁ t), f ₁=50 kHz  P-wave:

V(t)=A sin(2πf ₂ t+π/2), f ₂=30 kHz  Q-wave:

An electromagnetic wave that is a combination of the P-wave and theQ-wave is accordingly applied between the pair of electrodes 23A and 23Bas in FIG. 13D.

This disclosure is not limited to the examples of FIG. 12, FIG. 13A, andFIG. 13B in which electromagnetic waves generated from two electrodeseach have a different frequency, and the examples of FIG. 13C and FIG.13D in which electromagnetic waves generated from two electrodes eachhave a different frequency and a different phase. For instance, analternating current component voltage applied to two electrodes may beadjusted to control the peak-to-peak voltage of an electromagnetic wave,or a direct current component voltage applied to two electrodes may beadjusted to apply the direct current component voltage as an offsetvoltage in addition to an alternating current component voltage, ordifferent direct current component voltages may be applied to twoelectrodes, or alternating current component voltages applied to twoelectrodes may have different peak-to-peak voltage values, differentfrequencies, and different phases.

A moisture control apparatus, a moisture control method, a program, astorage medium, a generated substance, a product, an apparatus, and anequipment according to at least one embodiment of this disclosure aredescribed with reference to FIG. 14 to FIG. 16. FIG. 14 is a diagram ofinstalling electrodes 13A and 14A in a refrigerator. FIG. 15 is adiagram of installing electrodes 13B and 14B in a container. FIG. 16 isa diagram of installing electrodes 13C and 14C in a fryer. The samecomponents as those in FIG. 1 to FIG. 13 are denoted by the samereference symbols, and descriptions of the components are omitted. FIGS.14-16 give specific examples of the arrangement of the electrodes 13 and14, and any of the above described arrangements of the electrodes 13 and14 in the moisture control apparatus according to at least oneembodiment is considered.

The electrodes 13A and 14A in FIG. 14 are installed in a refrigerator.The electrodes 13A and 14A installed in the refrigerator, which servesas a housing 50A, are constructed from conductive (e.g., copper, iron,stainless steel, or aluminum) plate-shaped members having a rough Lshape in section. While there is no particular limitation on theelectrodes 13A and 14A, a plurality of holes (for example, hexagonal orother polygonal holes or circular holes) are formed in a bottom plate.The electrodes 13A and 14A are joined to each other by junctions 41. Thejunctions 41 are substantially rectangular thin plates made from aninsulating material, for example, polytetrafluoroethylene (e.g.,Teflon®) or similar fluorocarbon resin. The definition of refrigeratoras the housing 50A encompasses home-use refrigerators, business-uselarge-sized refrigerators, and various other modes of refrigerators.

The electrode shape is not limited to the rough L shape, and may be aflat board shape or a thin film shape. The electrodes 13A and 14A inthis case may be installed so as to be opposed to each other on innerwalls of the refrigerator serving as the housing 50A. The electrodes 13Aand 14A may instead be installed so as to be opposed to each other onthe refrigerator's inner ceiling surface, inner bottom surface, orshelves. Alternatively, the electrodes 13A and 14A may be provided so asto be opposed to each other on a door-side inner surface and an innersurface at the back. The least number of electrodes required is 1 and,for example, two electrodes, four electrodes, or six electrodes may beused.

When an electromagnetic field is applied to food in the refrigeratorserving as the housing 50A from the electrodes 13A and 14A installed inthe refrigerator, water particles as moisture contained in the food inthe form of free water or other forms attract one another to forma pearlchain formation. Water molecules aligned in a regular pattern as this donot bond with other components while being held within a substance, andare therefore capable of keeping the food fresh and succulent.

The electrodes 13B and 14B in FIG. 15 are installed in a container. Theelectrodes installed in the container, which serves as a housing 50B,are constructed from conductive (e.g., copper, iron, stainless steel, oraluminum), plate-shaped members having a rough L shape in section, or arough C shape in section. While there is no particular limitation on theelectrodes 13B and 14B, a plurality of holes (for example, hexagonal orother polygonal holes or circular holes) are formed in a bottom plate.The electrodes 13B and 14B are joined to each other by junctions 41B ifrequired. The junctions 41B are substantially rectangular thin platesmade from an insulating material, for example, polytetrafluoroethylene(e.g., Teflon®) or similar fluorocarbon resin. While the containerillustrated in FIG. 15 is relatively large in size, the definition ofcontainer as the housing 50B encompasses small-sized portablecontainers, large-sized cargo containers, and various other modes ofcontainers.

The electrode shape is not limited to the rough L shape, and may be aflat board shape or a thin film shape. The electrodes 13B and 14B inthis case may be installed so as to be opposed to each other on innerwalls of the container serving as the housing 50B. The electrodes 13Band 14B may instead be installed so as to be opposed to each other onthe container's inner ceiling surface and inner bottom surface.Alternatively, the electrodes 13B and 14B may be provided so as to beopposed to each other on a door-side inner surface and an inner surfaceat the back. The least number of electrodes required is 1 and, forexample, two electrodes, four electrodes, or six electrodes may be used.

When an electromagnetic field is applied to food in the containerserving as the housing 50B from the electrodes 13B and 14B installed inthe container, water particles as moisture contained in the food in theform of free water or other forms attract one another to form a pearlchain formation. Water molecules aligned in a regular pattern as this donot bond with other components while being held within a substance, andare therefore capable of keeping the food fresh and succulent. Thecontainer in which the electrodes 13B and 14B are installed may beplaced in a refrigerated warehouse, a freezer warehouse, a freshnessmaintaining warehouse, or the like to be managed in a desiredpreservation temperature zone, but is capable of keeping food fresh evenwhen placed in a warehouse that does not have a special freshnessmaintaining function.

The electrodes 13C and 14C in FIG. 16 are installed in a fryer (ahousing 50C). The electrodes 13C and 14C installed in the fryer, whichserves as the housing 50C, are constructed from conductive (e.g.,copper, iron, stainless steel, or aluminum), plate-shaped members havinga rough L shape in section. While there is no particular limitation onthe electrodes 13C and 14C, a plurality of holes (for example, hexagonalor other polygonal holes or circular holes) are formed in a bottomplate. The electrodes 13C and 14C are installed so that bottom surfacesof the electrodes 13C and 14C lie along the inner bottom surface of anoil tub of the fryer. A heating unit 51 is provided outside the oil tubof the fryer, in the example of FIG. 16, outside the bottom surface ofthe oil tub. The electrodes 13C and 14C are electrically connected tothe controller 10, and an output voltage of the controller 10 is appliedto the electrodes 13C and 14C.

When an electromagnetic field is applied to the interior of the oil tubof the fryer from the electrodes 13C and 14C, the interfacial tension atthe oil-water boundary is lowered, and the applied electromagnetic fieldalso causes water particles of free water contained in food to form apearl chain formation, thereby hindering the escape of moisture from thefood. An effect of reducing the permeation of oil into food is thusobtained by preventing sudden boil-up through the control of moisturecontained in the food. Because of the effect, the cooked food acquirestruly excellent texture and flavor.

This disclosure is not limited to the examples of the fourth embodimentin which a voltage and/or a current is constantly applied to the twoelectrodes 13 and 14. Instead of constantly applying a voltage and/or acurrent to the two electrodes 13 and 14 inside the housing 50 in which asubstance is placed, a voltage and/or a current may be applied only atgiven timing or only for a given length of time. For example, food in arefrigerator serving as the housing 50A can always be kept fresh withthe use of an electromagnetic field application pattern in which anelectromagnetic field is applied to the food in the refrigerator by theelectrodes 13A and 14A for an hour, no voltage or current is applied tothe electrodes 13A and 14A for the subsequent 47 hours, and then anelectromagnetic field is applied to the food in the refrigerator for anhour again. Power consumption is consequently reduced. This isconsidered to be because approximately one hour of electromagnetic fieldapplication by the electrodes 13A and 14A to food in the refrigeratorcauses water particles as moisture contained in the food in the form offree water or other forms to attract one another and form a pearl chainformation, and the pearl chain formation of water molecules ismaintained for a given length of time after that even in the absence ofan electromagnetic field. Lengths of time suitable for the type or stateof food in the refrigerator, the preservation temperature/humidity, andother factors are set to the time period in which an electromagneticfield is applied by the electrodes 13A and 14A to the food in therefrigerator and to the subsequent time period in which no voltage orcurrent is applied to the electrodes 13A and 14A. It is recommended totime the period in which an electromagnetic field is applied to foodnewly put in the refrigerator with the entrance of the food to therefrigerator. The entrance of new food to the refrigerator can bedetected by, for example, a camera in the interior of the refrigeratoror the opening and closing of the refrigerator's door.

In another example in which a container serves as the housing 50B, too,approximately one hour of electromagnetic field application by theelectrodes 13B and 14B to food in the container causes water particlesas moisture contained in the food in the form of free water or otherforms to attract one another and form a pearl chain formation and, oncewater molecules form a pearl chain formation, this state is maintainedfor a given length of time even in the absence of an electromagneticfield. Freshness can accordingly be maintained at reduced powerconsumption by providing a given length of period in which noelectromagnetic field is applied after the period in which anelectromagnetic field has been applied by the electrodes 13B and 14B tothe food in the container, and then providing a period in which anelectromagnetic field is applied. When the power source used is abattery, in particular, the reduction in power consumption prolongs thefreshness maintaining period per charge. The period in which anelectromagnetic field is applied is not limited to an hour, and theperiod in which no electromagnetic field is applied, too, can be set toa suitable length of time. The application period and the no-applicationperiod can be adjusted to suit the type and state of a substance in thecontainer, a temperature and a humidity at which the container isstored, and other factors. It is recommended to time the period in whichan electromagnetic field is applied to a substance newly put in thecontainer with the entrance of the substance to the container. Theentrance of a new substance to the container can be detected by, forexample, a camera in the interior of the container, a signal from theman-machine interface 31, or information in management database of awarehouse in which the container is housed.

In another example in which a fryer serves as the housing 50C, too,there is no need to constantly apply an electromagnetic field from theelectrodes 13C and 14C to the interior of the fryer's oil tab, andelectromagnetic field application can be scheduled so that a period inwhich an electromagnetic field is applied by the electrodes 13C and 14Cto the interior of the oil tab is followed by a given length of periodin which no electromagnetic field is applied, and then by a period inwhich an electromagnetic field is applied. In this case also, themoisture control apparatus can sustain the effect of reducing thepermeation of oil into food by preventing sudden boil-up through thecontrol of moisture contained in the food, and the resultant effect ofgiving the cooked food truly excellent texture and flavor. Suitablelengths of time can be determined for the period in which anelectromagnetic field is applied to the interior of the fryer's oil taband the period in which no electromagnetic field is applied, based onwhat food is cooked, the type of oil, the temperature of oil, and otherfactors.

A moisture control apparatus, a moisture control method, a program, astorage medium, a generated substance, a product, an apparatus, and anequipment according to at least one embodiment of this disclosure aredescribed with reference to FIG. 17. FIG. 17 is a block diagram of themoisture control apparatus 1. The same components as those in FIG. 1 toFIG. 16 are denoted by the same reference symbols, and descriptions ofthe components are omitted.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram corresponding to FIG. 1. The communicator 35,the storage 37, and the external power source 39, among others, however,are omitted from FIG. 17. More specifically, while the CPU 36 actuallyholds communication to and from a server and the like via thecommunicator 35, receives data input from and outputs data to thestorage 37, and receives a supply of electric power from the externalpower source 39, those operations are omitted in FIG. 17. The controller10, which is situated outside the housing 50 in FIG. 17, is not limitedthereto and may be provided, for example, inside the housing 50.

Flows (a) to (h) in FIG. 17 are described in order. In the flow (a),settings of the controller 10 are input from the man-machine interface31. The settings of the controller 10 are, for example, settings aboutthe turning on/off of the controller 10, the operation mode, the typeand state of a substance, and output voltages and/or output currents ofthe alternating current component voltage generator 11 and the directcurrent component voltage generator 12. Examples of the operation modeinclude an automatic mode, a substance input mode, and a manual settingmode. In the automatic mode, for example, the controller 10 iscontrolled automatically so that a substance reaches an appropriatestate, based on a detection signal from the substance detection sensor32, a detection signal from the detector 38, and a control parameter anda control value from the server 40 as described later. In the substanceinput mode, for example, the controller is controlled in a mannersuitable for a substance by inputting the type and state of thesubstance from the man-machine interface 31. In the manual setting mode,for example, the output voltages and/or output currents of thealternating current component voltage generator 11 and the directcurrent component voltage generator 12 are set manually. The followingdescription takes the case of the automatic mode as an example, unlessotherwise noted. In the flow (a), a set value about the housing 50 mayalso be input from the man-machine interface 31 to the housing 50 whenthe housing 50 has an automatic adjustment function.

In the flow (b), information about a substance is collected from thesubstance detection sensor 32 by command from the CPU 36. When thehousing 50 is a refrigerator, for example, information collected by thesubstance detection sensor 32 about a substance includes, among others,an image captured by a camera in the interior of the refrigerator, adetection signal about moisture in food from a moisture amount sensor,and detection signals from a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor(including a detection signal from a sensor built into therefrigerator). When the housing 50 is a container, for example,information collected by the substance detection sensor 32 about asubstance includes, among others, an image captured by a camera in theinterior of the container, detection signals from a temperature sensorand a humidity sensor in the interior of the container, and a signalfrom a GPS provided in the container (a GPS may be provided in thecontroller 10). When the housing 50 is a fryer, for example, informationcollected by the substance detection sensor 32 about a substanceincludes, among others, an image of a camera capturing food that isbeing cooked, a detection signal about moisture in the food from amoisture amount sensor, a temperature detection signal of the food, atemperature detection signal of the oil in the fryer, information aboutthe type of the oil in the fryer, and information about when to changethe oil in the fryer.

In the flow (c), the information collected from the substance detectionsensor 32 about a substance by command from the CPU 36 is transmitted tothe server 40 via the communicator 35. When the settings in the flow (a)specify the substance input mode, information transmitted to the server40 is, for example, information about the type and state of a substancethat is input from the man-machine interface 31.

When the settings in the flow (a) specify the manual setting mode,information about, for example, output voltages and/or output currentsof the alternating current component voltage generator 11 and the directcurrent component voltage generator 12 may be transmitted to the server40, from which a given control parameter and a control value aretransmitted to the CPU 36 after a given correction is made to thecontrol parameter and the control value by the server 40. In anotherexample, manually set output voltages and/or output currents of thealternating current component voltage generator 11 and the directcurrent component voltage generator 12 may be transmitted to the server40 for information collection by the server 40, while a control value iscalculated by the CPU 36. When the control value correction andinformation collection described above are not required to be conductedon the server 40, for example, transmission of information about theoutput voltages and/or output currents to the server 40 is not requiredin the flow (c).

A control parameter and control value suitable for the type and state ofa substance are calculated on the server 40. When calculating thecontrol parameter and the control value, the server 40 can also refer toinformation other than the type and state of a substance, for example,the season, the weather, a weather forecast, the date/time, thelocation, a supply and demand projection, the stocking/retrievalsituation and storage situation of a refrigerator, a container'stransportation route and the traffic situation on the route, thesituation of a group of containers related to the container of interest,inventory management information, the crowd situation at a shop, aneconomic index, and information on the Web, through communicationto/from an external server and a database 45.

Of the pieces of information collected by the substance detection sensor32 about a substance, an image captured by the camera can be used toidentify the type and state of the substance by image recognition on theserver 40. In the image recognition, the type and state of the substancecan be recognized accurately with the use of AI that employs deeplearning, for example. Specifically, the type and state of the substancecan be recognized accurately from an image captured by a camera by usingan image of food shot with a camera and a neural network trained withdata about the actual type and state of the food. The server canaccumulate a large number of pieces of image recognition data throughcommunication to/from other controllers 10, thereby enhancing theprecision of image recognition even more with respect to a diversity ofsubstances. When the controller 10 includes an AI program, the CPU 36may conduct image recognition to transmit the result of the imagerecognition to the server 40 in the flow (c). The communication amountof data transmission in the flow (c) can be reduced when imagerecognition is conducted in the controller 10 in this manner.

In the flow (d), the control parameter and control value calculated onthe server 40 are transmitted to the CPU 36 of the controller 10.

In the flow (e), the CPU 36 uses the control parameter and control valuetransmitted from the server 40 to control output voltages and/or outputcurrents of the alternating current component voltage generator 11 andthe direct current component voltage generator 12.

In the flow (f), the CPU 36 performs feedback control on at least one ofthe current value, voltage value, frequency, or phase of avoltage/current applied to the electrodes 13 and 14, based on adetection signal detected by the detector 38. The detection signaldetected by the detector 38 includes at least one of the voltage appliedto the electrodes, the current applied to the electrodes, the frequencyand/or phase of the voltage and/or current applied to the electrodes, amagnetic field between the electrodes 13 and 14, an electric fieldbetween the electrodes 13 and 14, or a sonic wave and/or a supersonicwave between the electrodes 13 and 14. The control value fed back in thefeedback control may be a control value calculated in the CPU 36, or maybe a control value calculated on the server 40.

When the control value fed back is a control value calculated in the CPU36, a control target value has been transmitted in the flow (d) from theserver 40 to the CPU 36. Alternatively, a set value as a control targetvalue is input in the flow (a) in the case of the manual mode. A controltarget value can be set so as to be variable with time, based oninformation collected by the substance detection sensor 32 about asubstance. When the control value fed back is a control value calculatedon the server 40, a detection signal detected by the detector 38 istransmitted to the server 40 in the flow (c) in order to calculate thecontrol value to be fed back on the server 40, the server 40 calculatesthe control value to be fed back, and the control value is transmittedfrom the server 40 to the CPU 36 in the flow (d).

While the detector 38 is used in the example described in the fifthembodiment, control can be performed without using the detector 38. Inthis case, the flow (f) is omitted and output voltages and/or outputcurrents of the alternating current component voltage generator 11 andthe direct current component voltage generator 12 are controlled in theflow (e). Sensor-less control, open-loop control, and other varioustypes of control can be adopted for this control.

In the flow (g), a control command from the CPU 36 may be transmitted tothe housing 50 when the housing 50 has an automatic adjustment function.When the housing 50 is a refrigerator, the control command is, forexample, a set value about the temperature or the humidity in theinterior of the refrigerator. When the housing 50 is a container thathas a function of adjusting the temperature and the humidity, thecontrol command is, for example, a temperature/humidity setting valueissued to the container. When the housing 50 is a container that isstored in a warehouse capable of adjusting the temperature and thehumidity, information about an adjustment of the temperature andhumidity of this container is transmitted in the flow (i), as describedlater, to the warehouse's management server, which corresponds to anexternal server and the database 45, to be used to appropriately adjustthe temperature/humidity state of all containers including othercontainers. When the housing 50 is a fryer, the control command is, forexample, a set value for setting the temperature of oil in an oil tub,and may inform of the time to change oil if required. When the housing50 does not have an automatic adjustment function, the flow (g) is notan indispensable component and, in this case, information about thecontrol command from the CPU 36 is displayed on the man-machineinterface 31, for example, in the flow (h), which is described later.

In the flow (h), the man-machine interface 31 displays the situation ofcontrol in the CPU 36, for example, the control situation of outputvoltages and/or output currents of the alternating current componentvoltage generator 11 and the direct current component voltage generator12, information about the type and state of the currently handledsubstance, and the situation of the housing 50 (detection information ofthe substance detection sensor 32). The control situation displayed whenthe housing 50 does not have an automatic adjustment function isinformation about a control command issued to the housing 50 from theCPU 36. In addition to those pieces of information, information sentfrom the server 40 in the flow (d) along with a control parameter and acontrol value can be displayed on the man-machine interface 31 whenrequired, or, in response to operation performed on the man-machineinterface 31. Examples of the additionally displayed information includethe season, the weather, a weather forecast, the date/time, thelocation, a supply and demand projection, the stocking/retrievalsituation and storage situation of a refrigerator, a container'stransportation route and the traffic situation on the route, thesituation of a group of containers related to the container of interest,inventory management information, the crowd situation at a shop, aneconomic index, and information on the Web. An operator can produce ormanage a substance properly by taking the displayed information intoconsideration.

The man-machine interface 31 can be configured unitarily with thecontroller 10. The man-machine interface 31 can also be a separatemember from the controller 10, or a separate member that has some offunctions of the controller 10. The man-machine interface 31 in thiscase can be configured as a portable terminal having a communicationfunction, for example, a smartphone, a cellular phone, a tabletterminal, or a PC. When the man-machine interface 31 is a separatemember that has some of functions of the controller 10, at least one of,or some of, the function of the communicator 35, the function of thestorage 37, or the arithmetic function of the CPU 36 out of thefunctions of the controller 10 can be included in the separateman-machine interface 31. The function of the substance detection sensor32 and the function of the detector 38, or some of the functions, canalso be integrated into the man-machine interface 31. For instance, acamera function built into a smartphone, a cellular phone, a tabletterminal, or a PC can be utilized as the substance detection sensor 32.

In the flow (i), the server 40 transmits/receives information requiredfor the management of a substance and collects data throughcommunication to and from an external server and the database 45. Theserver 40 can hold communication to and from an external server over theInternet. The server 40 can accordingly access, when the housing 50 is acontainer, a management database and management server of a warehouse inwhich the container is managed.

Effects of at least one embodiment are described by using, as aconfiguration example in which the housing 50 is a refrigerator, anexample in which a tablet terminal serves as the man-machine interface31, and the refrigerator includes a camera in the interior of therefrigerator, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, and an automatictemperature/humidity adjustment function. The effects of the at leastone embodiment are applicable to other device besides a refrigerator. Inthe example described here, the tablet terminal is operated to selectthe “automatic mode” as the operation mode and “low” as therefrigeration temperature, and the selections are transmitted to the CPUin the flow (a).

A refrigerator interior area that includes at least food preservedbetween two electrodes is photographed by the camera in the refrigeratorserving as the substance detection sensor 32, and the photograph istransmitted as information to the server 40 in the flow (b) and the flow(c). The server 40 identifies the type and state of the food that is aprocessing object by image recognition with the use of AI, for example.The refrigerator interior area photographed by the camera desirablycaptures the entirety of the preserved food, and a plurality of camerasmay be arranged in at least one embodiment. Information detected by thetemperature sensor and the humidity sensor in the interior of therefrigerator as the substance detection sensor 32 is also transmitted tothe server 40 in the flow (b) and the flow (c). The server 40 uses thefood type and state identified by image recognition and the transmittedinformation about the temperature and the humidity in the refrigeratorto calculate a control parameter and control value related to outputvoltages and/or output currents of the alternating current componentvoltage generator 11 and the direct current component voltage generator12, while taking into consideration an electromagnetic field to begenerated from the electrodes 13 and 14. The control parameter and thecontrol value vary depending on the type and state of food preserved.For instance, the control parameter and the control value differ when aleaf vegetable is preserved, when raw sea bream is preserved, and whensea bream already cooked by simmering is preserved.

In the flow (d), the control parameter and the control value aretransmitted to the CPU 36, and output voltages and/or output currents ofthe alternating current component voltage generator 11 and the directcurrent component voltage generator 12 are controlled appropriatelybased on the control parameter and the control value. In the flow (f),feedback control is performed on output voltages and/or output currentsof the alternating current component voltage generator 11 and the directcurrent component voltage generator 12, based on a detection value ofthe detector 38. In the flow (g), the temperature and the humidity inthe refrigerator are controlled appropriately based on the informationin the flow (a) (refrigeration temperature: “low”), the informationcalculated by the server 40, and the like.

In the flow (h), various types of information about the preserved foodcan be displayed on the tablet terminal along with the information sentfrom the server 40. At least one out of the type, state, stocking date,and expiration date of the preserved food, a notice about foodapproaching an expiration date, a menu of dishes that use the preservedfood, cooking methods, and a shopping list can be given as an example ofthe information that can be displayed on the tablet terminal. The flow(i) includes the obtainment of data required for the calculation on theserver 40. The information obtained by the server can also be obtainedwith the use of the communication function of the tablet terminal. Thecommunication amount can accordingly be reduced in the flow (d) and theflow (h) when the URL or the like instead of the information istransmitted in the flow (d) and flow (h).

Next, effects of at least one embodiment are described by using, as aconfiguration example in which the housing 50 is a container, an examplein which a tablet terminal serves as the man-machine interface 31, thecontainer includes a GPS, and a warehouse in which the container ishoused includes a management database and a management server. In theexample described here, the tablet terminal is operated to select the“automatic mode” as the operation mode, and information “applesharvested on Month Y, Day Z in Year X (immediately after harvest)” istransmitted as the type and state of the substance to the CPU in theflow (a).

The GPS as the substance detection sensor 32 transmits locationinformation of the container to the server 40 in the flow (b) and theflow (c), along with the information about the type and state of thesubstance. The server 40 thus knows the location of the container andstores, for example, a record of the transportation by land of thecontainer in which “apples harvested on Month Y, Day Z in Year X” areloaded, and of the warehousing of the container in a given warehouse.The server 40 can access the management database of the relevantwarehouse (the flow (i) described above) as well via an Internetconnection, and can accordingly keep track of data about the containermanagement situation in the warehouse.

The server 40 uses pieces of information including the containerlocation information, the type and state of the substance, andinformation obtained in the flow (i), for example, the state of theinterior of the warehouse, the location, the season, the weather, aweather forecast, and the situation of a group of containers related tothe container of interest, to calculate a control parameter and controlvalue related to output voltages and/or output currents of thealternating current component voltage generator 11 and the directcurrent component voltage generator 12, while taking into considerationan electromagnetic field to be generated from the electrodes 13 and 14.In this manner, the server 40 can calculate a control parameter andcontrol value suitable for the case in which “apples harvested on MonthY, Day Z in Year X” are stored in a given warehouse.

In the flow (d), the control parameter and the control value aretransmitted to the CPU 36, and output voltages and/or output currents ofthe alternating current component voltage generator 11 and the directcurrent component voltage generator 12 are controlled appropriatelybased on the control parameter and the control value. In the flow (f),feedback control is performed on output voltages and/or output currentsof the alternating current component voltage generator 11 and the directcurrent component voltage generator 12, based on a detection value ofthe detector 38. The flow (g) is omitted here because the container doesnot have a temperature control function or a similar function in thedescribed example.

In the flow (h), various types of information about the substance loadedin the container can be displayed on the tablet terminal along with theinformation sent from the server 40. At least one out of the type andstate of the food loaded in the container, the route and history oftransportation, a future distribution plan, the warehouse in which thesubstance is currently stored, the management situation in thewarehouse, the peak ripeness time, the expiration date, and informationabout another related container can be given as an example of theinformation that can be displayed on the tablet terminal. In the flow(i), information for the management of the container of interest is sentfrom the server 40 directly to the management server that handles themanagement database of the warehouse in which the container is stored,to be used for the management of the warehouse.

Next, effects of at least one embodiment are described by using, as aconfiguration example in which the housing 50 is a fryer, an example inwhich a tablet terminal serves as the man-machine interface 31, a cameraon the tablet terminal is used in place of a camera of the substancedetection sensor, and the fryer has an automatic adjustment function foradjusting the temperature of oil in the fryer. In the example describedhere, the tablet terminal is operated to select the “automatic mode” asthe operation mode and “automatic” as the oil temperature, and theselections are transmitted to the CPU in the flow (a).

A camera on the tablet terminal is used to photograph food to be cookedin the fryer, in place of a camera of the substance detection sensor 32.The photograph is transmitted as information to the server 40 in theflow (c). Instead of a camera on the tablet terminal, a camera mountedon the fryer as the substance detection sensor 32 may also be used. Foodto be cooked needs to be photographed only at the beginning of cooking,after the food to be cooked is changed from the previously cooked food.Information about the oil temperature from the fryer as the substancedetection sensor 32 is transmitted to the server 40 as well in the flow(b) and the flow (c). In at least one embodiment, a sensor for measuringthe moisture amount of food, a sensor for measuring the temperature offood, and other sensors may be provided to transmit information of thosesensors to the server 40 in the flow (b) and the flow (c).

The server 40 determines the type and state of food that is a processingobject by image recognition with the use of AI, for example. The server40 uses the food type and state identified by image recognition, varioustypes of information transmitted in the flow (c), and informationobtained in the flow (i), for example, the season, the weather, aweather forecast, the date/time, the location, and the crowd situationat a shop, to set the oil temperature of the fryer, and to calculate acontrol parameter and control value related to output voltages and/oroutput currents of the alternating current component voltage generator11 and the direct current component voltage generator 12, while takinginto consideration an electromagnetic field to be generated from theelectrodes 13 and 14. The control parameter and the control value aswell as the temperature of oil in the fryer vary depending on the typeand state of food to be cooked and other factors. For instance, thecontrol parameter, the control value, and the oil temperature differwhen cooking fried potatoes and when cooking fried chicken.

In the flow (d), the control parameter and the control value aretransmitted to the CPU 36, and output voltages and/or output currents ofthe alternating current component voltage generator 11 and the directcurrent component voltage generator 12 are controlled appropriatelybased on the control parameter and the control value. In the flow (f),feedback control is performed on output voltages and/or output currentsof the alternating current component voltage generator 11 and the directcurrent component voltage generator 12, based on a detection value ofthe detector 38. In the flow (g), the temperature of oil in the fryerare controlled appropriately based on the information calculated by theserver 40.

In the flow (h), various types of information about the food to becooked can be displayed on the tablet terminal along with theinformation sent from the server 40. At least one out of the type andstate of food to be cooked, the temperature of oil in the fryer, thenumber of pieces of food to be cooked, the history of cooked foods, andfood planned to be cooked next can be given as an example of informationthat can be displayed on the tablet terminal. The flow (i) includes theobtainment of data required for the calculation on the server 40. Theinformation obtained by the server can also be obtained with the use ofthe communication function of the tablet terminal. The communicationamount can accordingly be reduced in the flow (d) and the flow (h) whenthe URL or the like instead of the information is transmitted in theflow (d) and flow (h).

This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-100354filed on May 19, 2017, Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-126102 filedon Jun. 28, 2017, Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-151155 filed onAug. 3, 2017, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-153591 filed onAug. 8, 2017, the contents of which are incorporated herein by referencein their entirety, including the specification, the scope of claims, anddrawings.

1. A moisture control apparatus, comprising: at least one electrodeconfigured to receive at least one of an alternating current or a directcurrent, and to direct at least one of an electric field, a magneticfield, an electromagnetic field, an electromagnetic wave, a sonic wave,or a supersonic wave toward a substance; and a controller configured tocommunicate with the at least one electrode, wherein the controller isconfigured to control a voltage applied to the at least one electrode toinduce a bonded state between water molecules of moisture present in thesubstance.
 2. The moisture control apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the controller is configured to control the at least oneelectrode for increasing a conductivity of the substance.
 3. Themoisture control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controlleris configured to control the at least one electrode for orienting watermolecules in moisture present in the substance in a fixed direction. 4.The moisture control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bondedstate is in a pearl chain formation.
 5. A moisture control apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to controlthe moisture contained in the substance by controlling the voltage. 6.The moisture control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the atleast one electrode comprises a pair of electrodes, and each electrodeof the pair of electrodes is configured to direct at least one of anelectric field, a magnetic field, an electromagnetic field, anelectromagnetic wave, a sonic wave, or a supersonic wave toward thesubstance for a predetermined amount, so that an effect of improvingproperties of the substance is maintained for a predetermined length oftime after the substance placed between the pair of electrodes isremoved from between the pair of electrodes.
 7. The moisture controlapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured tocontrol the at least one electrode for inducing an electric potential inan aggregation of water molecules in the bonded state to be the same. 8.The moisture control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the atleast one electrode is configured to receive both the alternatingcurrent and the direct current.
 9. The moisture control apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the at least one electrode comprises aplurality of electrodes, and the controller is configured to control theplurality of electrodes such that at least one of a voltage value, afrequency or a phase applied to a first electrode of the plurality ofelectrodes is different from that of a second electrode of the pluralityof electrodes.
 10. The moisture control apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the controller is configured to control the at least oneelectrode to receive the direct current having a voltage value equal toor less than 100 volts (V).
 11. A moisture control apparatus accordingto claim 1, wherein the substance includes at least one of a solid, aliquid, a gas, and combinations thereof.
 12. The moisture controlapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured tocontrol the at least one electrode for lowering interfacial tension inthe substance by at least 60%. 13-42. (canceled)
 43. The moisturecontrol apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controllerconfigured to perform feedback control on at least one of a voltage, acurrent, a frequency, or a phase that is received by the at least oneelectrode.
 44. The moisture control apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the controller is configured to set a control target voltage,control target current, control target frequency, or control targetphase received by the at least one electrode based on a type or a stateof the substance.
 45. The moisture control apparatus according to claim1, wherein the controller is configured to receive information from anexternal source.
 46. The moisture control apparatus according to claim1, wherein the controller comprises at least one of: a directcurrent-direct current converter; a direct current-alternating currentconverter; an alternating current-direct current converter; or analternating current-alternating current converter.
 47. The moisturecontrol apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a batteryconfigured to supply power to the controller.
 48. The moisture controlapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured toreceive a control parameter and/or a control value from a server. 49.The moisture control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprisinga sensor configured to communicate with the controller, wherein thesensor configured to detect at least one of substance type, substancestate, electric field state, magnetic field state, electromagnetic fieldstate, electromagnetic wave state, sonic wave state, supersonic wavestate, electric current state, or voltage state.
 50. The moisturecontrol apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller isconfigured to receive instructions from a man-machine interface.
 51. Amoisture control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at leastone electrode is a plate electrode, a rod electrode, a sphericalelectrode, a hemispherical electrode, an L-shaped electrode, a foilelectrode, a film electrode or a flake electrode.
 52. The moisturecontrol apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least oneelectrode comprises: a first electrode comprising a first material; anda second electrode comprising a second material.
 53. The moisturecontrol apparatus according to claim 52, wherein the first material isthe same as the second material.
 54. The moisture control apparatusaccording to claim 52, wherein the first material is different from thesecond material.
 55. The moisture control apparatus according to claim1, wherein the moisture control apparatus is detachably mounted to anexisting equipment.
 56. The moisture control apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the moisture control apparatus is mobile, conveyable orportable.
 57. A moisture control apparatus according to claim 1,comprising two or more electrodes, wherein the moisture controlapparatus is configured to set, for each of the two or more electrodes,at least one of a voltage, a current, a frequency, or a phase that isapplied to the electrode.
 58. A moisture control method, comprising:directing, using at least one electrode, at least one of an electricfield, a magnetic field, an electromagnetic field, an electromagneticwave, a sonic wave, or a supersonic wave at a substance; and controllingthe at least one electrode to create a bonded state in which watermolecules of moisture present in the substance, wherein the controllingof the at least one electrode comprises controlling at least one of adirect current component or an alternating current component supplied tothe at least one electrode.
 59. The moisture control method according toclaim 58, wherein the controlling of the at least one electrodeincreases conductivity of the substance.
 60. The moisture control methodaccording to claim 58, wherein the controlling of the at least oneelectrode comprises orienting water molecules in moisture present in thesubstance in a fixed direction.
 61. The moisture control methodaccording to claim 58, wherein the moisture in the bonded state is in apearl chain formation.
 62. The moisture control method according toclaim 58, wherein the controlling of the at least one electrode controlsthe moisture contained in the substance by controlling at least one ofthe direct current component or the alternating current component. 63.The moisture control method according to claim 58, wherein the at leastone electrode comprises a pair of electrodes configured to be activatedfor a predetermined amount, so that an effect of improving properties ofthe substance is maintained for a predetermined length of time after thesubstance placed between the pair of electrodes is removed from betweenthe pair of electrode.
 64. The moisture control method according toclaim 58, wherein the controlling of the at least one electrodecomprises establishing a same electric potential in each of the watermolecules in the bonded state.
 65. The moisture control method accordingto claim 58, wherein the controlling of the at least one electrodecomprises supplying both the alternating current component and thedirect current component to the at least one electrode.
 66. A programfor executing the moisture control method of claim
 58. 67. A storagemedium storing thereon the program of claim
 66. 68. A substance,comprising water molecules of moisture, wherein a bonded state in whichthe water molecules are bonded to one another is created by the moisturecontrol apparatus of claim
 1. 69. The moisture control apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein fine bubbles are added to the substance.70. The moisture control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein themoisture control apparatus is applied to at least one field out of amanufacturing field, a distribution field, a logistics field, a storagefield, a sales field, an industrial field, a construction field, a civilengineering field, a machine field, an electricity field, an electronicsfield, a communications field, an optics field, a chemistry field, apetroleum chemistry field, an agricultural field, a mercantile field, afisheries field, a food field, a food service field, a culinary field, aservice field, a medical field, a health field, a welfare field, and anursing care field.
 71. The moisture control apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the substance includes at least one selected from thegroup consisting of: (1) one of articles of food including agriculturalproducts, flowers, animal products, aquatic products, processed food,health food, beverages, alcoholic drink, dry foods, stocks, andseasoning, (2) one of products including resin, rubber, glass, lenses,pottery, lumber, cement, concrete, paper, ink, dye, fibers, ceramics,polishing agents, washing agents, additives, printed boards, plating,refining materials, paint, Chinese ink, water repellents, chemicalproducts, fertilizer, animal feed, microbes, water, cloth, andexplosives, (3) fuel including gasoline, light gas oil, heavy fuel oil,kerosene, and petroleum, (4) one of medical products including blood,vaccines, drugs, organs, cells, ointments, dialyzers, and medicaltreatment instruments, and (5) one of commodities including beautyproducts, detergents, soaps, shampoos, and hair care products.
 72. Aproduct, an apparatus, or an equipment, comprising the moisture controlapparatus of claim
 1. 73. A product, an apparatus, or an equipment,comprising at least one component selected from a refrigerator, afreezer, a refrigerated warehouse, a freezer warehouse, a storagebuilding, a refrigerator car, a freezer car, a cooler box, a conveyancecontainer, a storage container, a showcase, a shelf, a drawer, a fryer,a cultivation receptacle, a fuel tank, a personal computer, a cellularphone, a sofa bed, furniture, bedding, a home appliance, a manufacturingdevice of a type found in a factory, a fabricating device, a medicaldevice, a health device, a beauty device, a cooking appliance, apolishing device, a vehicle, a washing device for semiconductors, and adevice for controlling water vapor that is generated during cooling in asmelting process, a baking process, and a drying process, wherein the atleast one component includes the moisture control apparatus of claim 1.